L.ETTRË mCOXII

Le Duc (ÏYork au Prince â^ Orange, Procès de Fitzharris,

June 7.

I had by the last post yours of the 6 from Honslardike , by the which I see you were come back thether and that you hâve had as great a drought as we hère , and , as you say, there will hardly be any hay and but lîttle corne, so that they feare a derth in England, and, by what I heare, they generally complaine of want of raine over ail Europe. This place affords but little newse; ail things being very quiat hère, but from London you will never want any , so long as there are such villans there as Oats and Fitzharris ; I hope the tryel of the last will be over, and as it should, before this gett to you, and certainly if he beleve himself in danger, he will tell truth, which I am sure hetherto he lias not done. I hâve now no more to say to you but to assure you you shall always find me as kind to you as you can désire.

LETTRE MCDXIII.

Lord Hyde au Prince d^ Orange. Le Roi très-mécontent des voies de fait du Roi de France; M*" Skelton envoyé à la Haye,

I was gone to Windsor, when your Highnesse's letter of the 6 came hither, and béing I was expected backe sooner then I came, it was not sent to me; the other your Highnesse was pleased to honour me with of the 1 1 came not to my hands till saturday; I am obliged to give your Highnesse this account, for my excuse that I hâve not answered them sooner, which it would not hâve been fit for me to hâve done neither, without knowing his Maj^ pleasure upon them, which I went to Windsor, sunday last, to receive. As to ail that relates to the publicke?

1681. Juin.] — 504 —

I mean the proceeding of the Frencli in the manner they doe par voye de fait, to putt themselves in possession of ail they prétend to, I doe assure your Highnesse it is a method as ill approved on hère as you can wish it, and, upon the last instances made by the Spanish Ambassador concerning the county of Chinay, his Ma. hath both dispatched M"" Savill with very particular instructions, and spoken himselfe to the French Ambassador hère so fully, how insupportable such a proceeding must be, both to himselfe and the rest of the world, that I thinke more could not hâve been done at this time. The memoriall your Highnesse mentions in your first letter to hâve been presented by the Dutch Ambassador, was some time since ordred to be answered , but, by the misfortune of mylord Conway's being gone into the country for eight or ten days, it lay undispatched. I suppose it is delivered before this time and I hope it is so satisfactory that your Highnesse and the States will see that the King doth intend to proceed to doe ail that is in his power, in conjunction with the States, to prevent the mischeifs that threaten us ail; but the condition the King is in, to proceed vigourously, is not unknowne to your Highnesse. What would hâve served, or will serve, to mend that throws us backe into difficult points, which I know not how to meddle with. I shall not now take upon me to answer more particularly any points in your Highnesse's letters. To morrow there will be a comittee of forreigne affaires , where I suppose there may be directions given to satisfye your Highnesse in those particulars. I will onely add that I know no ground for the rumour you are pleased to speake off, that is spread there, that we begin hère to be in better intelligence with the French, unlesse it hath been from some unskillfull expressions I am lately come to the knowledge off that hâve been used to some of your ministers hère by some of ours, who were certainly mistaken in what they said. [ know not whether your Highnesse can understand me ; I am not at liberty to explaine

— 505 — [1681. Juin.

them farther then hy saying that some accounts given into Holland of vvhat had been said hère, may very well deserve sucli an interprétation, and yett I thinke in truth there is no ground for it, because I take what was so said to hâve been mistakes.

The new orders mentioned in your Highnesses last letter to be designed to be sent by that post to your Ambassador, are either not come or not communicated , so that I can not say any thing more to that particular.

As to what you are pleased to say concerning the revocation of M'^ Sidney and the sending of M"" Skelton, I did not faile to represent it very particularly to the King, and doe confesse your Highnesse hath some reason to take it ill that the promise you speake oflf that was made you, not to send any new ministers to the Hague, without consulting with your Highnesse, hath not been kept. I can onely say that I doe not remember that I was particularly commanded to hâve a reguard to putt the King in mind of it. But of this subject the King intends to write himselfe to your Highnesse, and therefore it will not be fîtt for me to trouble you in it, especially since I find the King inclined to continue in his resolution, which I wish your Highnesse would dispose yourselfe not to be choqued at, since the thing hath gone so farr, [is] that M"" Skelton is a persone particularly knowne to the King and hath served him a long time.

I will endeavour ail I can to promote the dispatch of S"" Gabriell Sylvius, but as to sending one to the Empereur, in the room of mylord Middelton, I know not yett what the King will doe, but your Highnesse know very well that, neither by our owne minister, while we had one there, nor by any they hâve had hère, hâve we found any forward inclination in that Court to enter into any measures with us.

I hâve no more to add at présent but my most humble thanks for the honour you are pleased to doe me, in ■towriting to me so freely of ail thèse matters. I will en-

1681. Juin.] — 506 —

deavour to deserve it by answering them againe as plainely as I can , and by obeying to the best of my creditt ail your commands.

St. James-street , June 1^^ 1681.

Li£TTR£ MCDXIT.

Lord Hyde au Prince d^ Orange. Il C exhorte à prendre en bonne pari la nomination de M. Skelton.

St. James-street, June the 10.

I received the letter your Highnesse was pleased to honour me with of the 14 and, tho I hâve not been at Windsor since , to knbw any thing of the Kings mind further in the matter of M'" Skelton , I am presuming to say something of my owne thoughts upon that subject, and to beg of your Hignesse that you would not take this matter as I apprehend by your letter you are disposed to doe. There can nothing happen of worse conséquence to the King and ail the world then that there should not be a through good and entire correspondence between the King and your Highnesse, and, for Gods sake. Sir, tho you should be in the right in this particular, agrée with the King in it; forgive me for offring my advice to your Highnesse, who hâve so much better lights and understanding to judge of every thing, but I am sure I doe it with a good intention and with ail possible duty and submission to your Highnesse , and therefore pray be pleased to receive it well; I am goeing to Windsor and, at my returne, will renew this trouble of writing to your Highnesse.

— 507 — [1681. Juin.

lettre: mCDXv.

Lord Ilyde au Prince d^ Orange. Le Roi n^esi pas en état de se prononcer plus énergiquernent contre les François ; importance d^un bon accord entre le Prince et lui.

St. James-street, June the 21.

I acknowledged sorae time since the receipt of your Higbnesse's letter of the 1 7, but could not answer it particularlj, till I had had the opportunity of acquainting the King with it and receiving his pleasure upon it, which haveing since done , I am commanded to tell your Highnesse that the King knowes not how he could hâve înterested himselfe more in the affaires of the Low-Countrys upon the new complaint made by the Spanish Ambassador concerning the county of Chenay then by hastning away M*" Savile with instructions to complaine of those proceedings of the French, jointly with the Dutch Ambassador at Paris , and to use his most earnest endeavours with the most-Christian King to stop what was then

^doeing and prevent the like for the future , which his Ma. was pleased to second likewise himselfe by speaking to the French Ambassador hère with great concerne upon that occasion. And perhaps, if the King had been in a k condition to bave acted more vigorously himselfe, yett this method had been the most adviseable, considering the want both of inclination and power in most of his neighbours to renew the w^ar; but I bave leave to speake a little more plainly to your Highnesse , because the pos- : ture of the Kings affaires is so perfectly understood by you that you cannot but reflect how unable his Ma. is at this time to take other measures. This is not a language the King hath ever directed to be held to any of the forreigne ministers, knowing of what importance it is > to keep them up in courage and heart, but your Highnesse, who cannot be ignorant of the plaine truth, is desired to consider seriously of it-, and then I hope you will

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be pleased to enter so farr into our sence of what is possible to be done, as to concur in those expédients that may keep things from growing worse, without expecting they should grow better, till we can recover a little strenght and union amongst ourselves; which I hope is not to be despaired off, tho the King hath dissolved two Parliaments; since, by what his Ma. offred them, his good intentions and disposition to reconcile every thing were évident, and, by the efFects since, it is plaine he hath gained ground generally in the Nation. Your Highnesse's letter of the 24, which I received yesterday morning, gives me some hopes that you hâve already conceived such thoughts as thèse, and I humbly beg of your Highnesse to believe that it is the Kings désigne to doe ail that is possible for him, for the préservation of the gênerai peace, with regard to the condition he is now in, and likewise that nothing shall be w^anting on his part to make that better at home, that it may hâve a good effect abroad. — For the other part of your Highnesses last letter, I know not what to say, but that I am greived at my soûle to see there is so much warmth in your Highnesse for a matter that, in my poor judgment, neither on one side nor the other, ought to hâve been the occasion of it. Is it not a sad thing, Sir, with your Highnesse's favour, that tins should grow to a différence between the King and yourselfe that every body should come to talke off, and ail that wish the King ill, should rejoyce att? I doe assure you, upon my Word, in my judgment I would wish that no body should be sent to the Hague against your mind, and, upon the receipt of your letter, I hâve sent to Windsor my desires to encline things that way, but, on the other side, may I not beseech your Highnesse to consider that the dispute is not between yourselfe and M"" Skelton, and that, as ail we, who are the Kings servants, ought to submitt every thing to your will and pleasure, so that you yourselfe might thinke iîtt to submitt your mind to the King's? I most humbly beg your purdone for presuraing to write

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in this stile to you; it is with an intention of service and duty to you, and of preserving the kindnesse and good correspondence between you and the King entire; and, as you are pleased to write freely to me , for which I most humbly and heartily thanke your Highnesse, and by which , by the help of the knowledge I hâve the honour to hâve of your Highnesse's mind and temper, I can see a great way how you hâve taken and are engaged in this matter, so I humbly beseech you on the other side to give me leave to write againe freely to your Highnesse, especially in those things that I am so weake as to thinke are of the greatest importance imaginable to yourselfe and to the King and consequently to the prosperity of ail our affaires hère at home, the support of the Crowne, and the generall good of Christendome.

lettre: mcdxvi.

Le Duc d!Yorh au Prince d Orange. Il espère quHt révoquera la nomination de M, Sidney.

Edenburgh, Jane 25.

I am by so many severall reasons obliged to be concerned for you and am realy so that I cannot heare of any thing that may give occation of complaint from any, concerning you, without telling you of it. By the last letters I had from London, I am informed that you had given the command of Generall of bis Ma. subjects, which Lord Ossory had before, to M"* Sideny, which I confesse I could not beleve till now, tho some tyme since it was writen to one hère from the Hage, and that I had seen it in the Brusselles printed gazette; thinking that, if any thing of that kind had been donc by you, I should bave heard of it from you, and from London that his Ma. had aproved of your choise; but, to my great trouble, I find that not only you had donc it without his Ma. knowledg

1681. Juin.] — 510 —

of it, and aproving of it, but even done it for ail his Ma. had, bj one of the secretarys, lett you know he would not concent to it. But I hope the letter I am told the King has writen to you himself, will, before this corne to you , hâve had the effect it aught with you , and that you will not disoblige his Ma. so much as to lett one in whom he has no confidens, hâve the command of so considérable a body of his subjects; and I confesse it seems very strange to me how he that is but a privât gentilman, tho of a very ansient family, should prétend to hâve such a command, when at land he never saw any service, and tho I know some tyms men of great quality and estats, tho no souldiers, had had such commands given them, yett I never heard of a privât gentilman so advanced, but for his long service and expérience in the war. I hope what his Ma. has sayd to you and thèse reasons will prevaile and, as to myself, I must tell you freely, I should be very sorry to see M'" Sidney at the head of such a body of men of his Ma. subjects , that is so influenced by some of the greatest enemys I hâve in the world. I could say much more upon this subject to lett you see how very unfitt a thing it would be to lett him hâve such a command, but hope what has been sayd to you by his Ma., as well as myself, will hâve convinced you of it; tis my concerne for you, as well as the considération of his Ma^ service, makes me say ail this to you; for I would not willingly he should hâve reason to complain of you, and you may be sure I shall ever be as kind to you as you can désire.

liETTRË MCDXTII.

Le Duc d^York au Prince dH Orange. Les affaires en bon état

June 28.

Since I wrot to you by the last post, I havc received

[1681. Juin.

y ours of the 24, by the which I see y ou had then heard of that villan Fitzharris beiiig condemned , and before this coms to you, if the last letters from London say true, he will behaiiged ;is he deserv's. You will also hâve heard how favorable a jury Lord Howard of Escrik had, tho [wee see, by the dépositions in print against him, that lie was as guilty as the other, but tis not.to be wondred at, ^when sucli a jury was chosen, and no better choise could be expected by such shérifs as Bethel and his collègue. Ail things are very quiat hère, and now the élections of Parliament-men will sone be over, and I hâve every day more reason to beleve this Parliament will do their duty as becoms them, which is ail I hâve now to say, exept it be to assure you that I shall still be as kind to you as you can désire.

Eor my Sonne the Prince of Orange.

LETTRE MCDXTIII.

Le Duc (ïYork au Prince et Orange, pour t Angleterre.

Départ du Prince

Edenburgh, Julij 28.

I hâve now two of yours to answer, both from Holland, the last just before your embarking for England, whether I am very glad you are gone, since I am confident you will be better informed of his Ma. affairs then you hâve been of late, and that you will take such measurs for the futur as may be for the good of our family in generall. I was also very well pleased, before I had your letters, to heare M' Sidney had quited his prétentions for the command of his Ma. subjects in your service, being still of the same mind that, for severall reasons, he was no ways fitt for it. The Parhament meett this day, and we road both to and from it through the whole towne, and then I gave them ail a diner, after ail which you will easily beleve I am some what weary, or els I should

lf)8l. Juillet] 512

have sayd more to you, but this I shall say that you shall ever find me very kind to you.

For my Sonne the Prince of Orange.